Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-12-16-Speech-2-305"
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"en.20031216.8.2-305"2
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"Mr President, I would like to join in the congratulations just expressed to our rapporteur. At this time of night I cannot match him in using words skilfully in the form of puns as he did in his speech, but, well done!
I am pleased that we will be able to present this to the public as a move towards efficiency and clarity. This will not get big headlines in newspapers for the rapporteur or anyone else, but it is extremely important for the public to have clarity and security in the measuring instruments used as listed for items of public health, public safety, public order, protection of the environment and, indeed, the levying of taxes and duties and the protection of consumers and fair trading. All those public goods need accurate, trustworthy measurements, and in the European Union we need to get rid of the barriers to trade that might exist without such instruments.
A quite considerable range of instruments has been mentioned, including water meters, taxi meters, exhaust-gas analysers and breathalysers. We support, as Mr Glante has said, the principle of optionality: it is quite reasonable to give Member States a choice as to whether or not they regulate. But with that choice goes a responsibility not to put up trade barriers or to be unfairly competitive. The comitology issues that concern us appear to have been solved. This is an example of the new approach to harmonisation. We have to bear in mind that there may well be technological advances or problems we have not heard or thought of, perhaps, for example, electromagnetic interference.
The simplification, clarity and conciseness of the rapporteur are helpful. I am glad that the Commission agrees and I look forward to the Council of Ministers taking the same approach. The joint declaration on the procedures for ensuring conformity with the review of texts will be welcome.
I am glad that the countries which will be joining us in May 2004 will have an example of how Member States can make decisions in the context of a European Union which wants fair competition and does not want barriers to trade. I am sure that they have been following this work with interest.
We hope there will be an agreement at second reading. Our committee has a reputation for putting in hours of work in the form of informal trialogues. Some of us sometimes question whether we are misguided in doing that in comparison with other committees such as the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy. But my belief is that, so far, we have managed in an assertive way to put across our points of view. I congratulate the rapporteur again."@en1
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